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This study assesses the results of a mandatory blended learning-program for counselors (e.g. midwives, sonographers, obstetricians) guiding national implementation of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT). We assessed counselors’ 1) knowledge about prenatal aneuploidy screening, 2) factors associated with their knowledge (e.g. counselors’ characteristics, attitudes towards NIPT), and 3) counselors’ attitudes regarding the blended learning. A cross-sectional online pretest-posttest implementation survey was sent to all 2,813 Dutch prenatal counselors. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to identify associations between counselors’ knowledge and e.g. their professional backgrounds, work experience and attitudes towards NIPT. At T0 and T1 1,635 and 913 counselors completed the survey, respectively. Overall results show an increased mean number of correct answered knowledge questions; 23/35 (66%) items at T0 and 28/37 (76%) items at T1. Knowledge gaps on highly specific topics remained. Work experience and secondary care work-setting were positively associated with a higher level of knowledge. Most counselors (74%) showed positive attitudes towards the blended learning program. The mandatory blended learning, along with learning by experience through implementation of NIPT, has facilitated an increase in counselors’ knowledge and was well received. New implementations in healthcare may benefit from requiring blended learning for healthcare providers, especially if tailored to professionals’ learning goals.

Objectives: To assess the association between low fetal fraction (FF) in prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of participants of the TRIDENT-2 study (Dutch nationwide government-supported study offering cfDNA screening for fetal aneuploidies) who received a failed test result due to low FF (

Objective: Low fetal fraction (LFF) in prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing is an important cause of test failure and no-call results. LFF might reflect early abnormal placentation and therefore be associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Here, we review the available literature on the relationship between LFF in cfDNA testing and adverse pregnancy outcome. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE up to November 1, 2020. Results: Five studies met the criteria for inclusion; all were retrospective observational cohort studies. The cohort sizes ranged from 370 to 6375 pregnancies, with all tests performed in the first trimester or early second trimester. A 4% cutoff for LFF was used in two studies, two studies used the 5th and 25th percentiles, respectively, and one study used a variety of cutoff values for LFF. LFF in prenatal cfDNA testing was observed to be associated with hypertensive disease of pregnancy, small for gestational age neonates, and preterm birth. Conflicting results were found regarding the association between LFF and gestational diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: LFF in cfDNA testing is associated with adverse pregnancy outcome,specifically pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders, preterm birth, and impaired fetal growth related to placental dysfunction. Since the available evidence is limited, a large prospective cohort study on the relationship between fetal fraction and pregnancy outcomes is needed.

Clear inter-individual differences exist in the response to C. trachomatis (CT) infections and reproductive tract complications in women. Host genetic variation like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with differences in response to CT infection, and SNPs might be used as a genetic component in a tubal-pathology predicting algorithm. Our aim was to confirm the role of four genes by investigating proven associated SNPs in the susceptibility and severity of a CT infection. A total of 1201 women from five cohorts were genotyped and analyzed for TLR2 + 2477 G > A, NOD1 + 32656 T -> GG, CXCR5 + 10950 T > C, and IL10 - 1082 A > G. Results confirmed that NOD1 + 32656 T ->GG was associated with an increased risk of a symptomatic CT infection (OR: 1.9, 95%CI: 1.1-3.4, p = 0.02), but we did not observe an association with late complications. IL10 - 1082 A > G appeared to increase the risk of late complications (i.e., ectopic pregnancy/tubal factor infertility) following a CT infection (OR = 2.8, 95%CI: 1.1-7.1, p = 0.02). Other associations were not found. Confirmatory studies are important, and large cohorts are warranted to further investigate SNPs' role in the susceptibility and severity of a CT infection.

Objective: Preterm birth is the most common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Around one third of preterm deliveries starts with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM). The aim of this trial was to study the effect of prolonged tocolysis with nifedipine versus placebo in women with PPROM on perinatal outcome and prolongation of pregnancy. Study design: The Apostel IV was a nationwide multicenter randomized placebo controlled trial. We included women with PPROM without contractions between 24(+0) and 33(+6) weeks of gestation. Participants were randomly allocated to daily 80 mg nifedipine or placebo, until the start of labor, with a maximum of 18 days. The primary outcome measure was a composite of poor neonatal outcome, including perinatal death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, periventricular leukomalacia >grade 1, intraventricular hemorrhage >grade 2, necrotizing enterocolitis > stage 1 and culture proven sepsis. Secondary outcomes were gestational age at delivery and prolongation of pregnancy. Analysis was by intention to treat. To detect a reduction of poor neonatal outcome from 30% to 10%,120 women needed to be randomized. Trial registry: NTR 3363. Results: Between October 2012 and December 2014 we randomized 25 women to nifedipine and 25 women to placebo. Due to slow recruitment the study was stopped prematurely. The median gestational age at randomization was 29.9 weeks (IQR 27.7-31.3) in the nifedipine group and 27.0 weeks (IQR 24.7-29.9) in the placebo group. Other baseline characteristics were comparable. The adverse perinatal outcome occurred in 9 neonates (33.3%) in the nifedipine group and 9 neonates (32.1%) in the placebo group (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.49-2.2). Two perinatal deaths occurred, both in the nifedipine group. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was seen less frequently in the nifedipine group (0% versus 17.9%; p= 0.03). Prolongation of pregnancy did not differ between the nifedipine and placebo group (median 11 versus 8 days, HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.58-1.79). Conclusion: This randomized trial did not show a beneficial effect of prolonged tocolysis on neonatal outcomes or prolongation of pregnancy in women with PPROM without contractions. However, since results are based on a small sample size, a difference in effectiveness cannot be excluded. Crown Published by

Preterm birth is estimated to affect between 5% and 13% of all pregnancies and is the reason for more than 50% of neonatal morbidity and 50% and 75% of neonatal mortality cases worldwide. It causes long-term physical and developmental impairment, thus having a substantial burden on families and health care costs. A delay of delivery by 48 hours in cases with threatened preterm birth allows for the administration of antenatal corticosteroids, which improves neonatal outcomes. Therefore, treatment with tocolytics for 48 hours may prolong pregnancy long enough to optimize the beneficial effects of steroid administration. However, there is no consensus about which drug is most effective at improving neonatal outcomes while minimizing maternal risks. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of the calcium-channel blocker nifedipine and the oxytocin inhibitor atosiban in women with threatened preterm birth. The APOSTEL III, multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted in 10 tertiary and 9 teaching hospitals in the Netherlands and Belgium. Participants included women with threatened preterm birth (gestational age, 25–34 weeks). In this study, 254 women, from 2011 to 2014, were randomly assigned (1:1) to oral nifedipine and 256 to intravenous atosiban for 48 hours. The primary outcome included a composite of adverse perinatal outcomes, which included perinatal mortality, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Data were analyzed in all women and babies, including during follow-up. The study revealed that the primary outcome occurred in 42 babies (14%) in the nifedipine group and in 45 (15%) in the atosiban group (relative risk, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.61–1.37). A total of 16 babies (5%) died in the nifedipine group and 7 babies (2%) died in the atosiban group (relative risk, 2.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–5.33); all deaths were deemed unlikely to be related to the study drug. It is to be noted that maternal adverse events did not differ between the groups. The study concluded that in women with threatened preterm birth, 48 hours of tocolysis with nifedipine or atosiban results in similar perinatal outcomes. It proposed that future clinical research must focus on large placebo-controlled trials powered for perinatal outcomes.

Preterm birth is the major contributor to perinatal mortality and serious neonatal morbidity, and approximately 30% of all patients admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in the Netherlands are born from a multiple pregnancy. In asymptomatic women with a multiple pregnancy and short cervix, prophylactic use of a cervical pessary might reduce preterm birth. The aim of this study is to assess the possible treatment effects of pessary use in pregnancy duration and for poor perinatal outcome. This cohort study was performed between December 2012 and September 2014 in 44 hospitals in the Netherlands. Cervical length was measured between 16 and 22 weeks of gestation. When cervical length was below 38 mm, women were offered a cervical pessary. The pessaries were removed at 36 weeks of gestation or in case of premature rupture of the membranes, active vaginal bleeding, other signs of preterm labor, or severe patient discomfort. The course of pregnancy, including perinatal outcome in these women, was compared with the outcome of women from the placebo group of the AMPHIA trial (ISRCTN40512715) (historical cohort). Propensity score matching with replacement was used to create comparable baseline characteristics between both populations. The study included 63 women in the pessary group and 56 women as control subjects. Propensity score matching generated 57 women in the intervention group matched to 57 women (31 unique) in the control group. Gestational age at delivery was comparable between both groups (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46–1.46), as well as their delivery rates before 28, 32, and 37 weeks (RR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.21–2.18]; RR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.21–1.41]; and RR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.47–3.15]), respectively. There was no difference in composite perinatal outcome (RR, 1.36 [95% CI, 0.53–3.51]) and perinatal mortality (RR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.24–3.38]) either. Results of this cohort study with propensity score analysis could not confirm the positive effect of pessary therapy in the prevention of preterm birth in asymptomatic multiple pregnancies with a short cervix in this propensity score analysis. With ongoing studies on this subject, the definite answer whether pessaries are effective in the prevention of preterm birth will come. If effective, evaluation of implementation, similar to this study, is still necessary.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical impact of nationwide implementation of genome-wide Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) in pregnancies at increased risk for fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13. METHOD: Women with elevated risk based on first trimester combined testing (FCT ≥ 1:200) or medical history, not advanced maternal age alone, were offered NIPT as contingent screening test, performed by Dutch University Medical laboratories. We analyzed uptake, test performance, redraw/failure rate, turn-around time and pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: Between April 1st and September 1st, 2014, 1413/23232 (6%) women received a high-risk FCT result. Of these, 1211 (85.7%) chose NIPT. 179 women had NIPT based on medical history. 1386/1390 (99.7%) women received a result, 6 (0.4%) after redraw. Mean turn-around time was 14 days. Follow-up was available in 1376 (99.0%) pregnancies. NIPT correctly predicted 37/38 (97.4%) trisomies 21, 18 or 13 (29/30, 4/4 and 4/4 respectively). 5/1376 (0.4%) cases proved to be false positives: trisomies 21 (n = 2), 18 (n = 1) and 13 (n = 2). Estimated reduction in invasive testing was 62%. CONCLUSION: Introduction of NIPT in the Dutch National healthcare-funded Prenatal Screening Program resulted in high uptake and a vast reduction of invasive testing. Our study supports offering NIPT to pregnant women at increased risk for fetal trisomy.

To study the effectiveness of nifedipine in women with PPROM in terms of perinatal outcome and prolongation of pregnancy.

Objective: We recently reported that induction of labour does not improve short term neonatal outcome in women with late preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) as compared to expectant management (PPROMEXIL trial). In this study the neurodevelopmental and behavioural outcome of the children from this trial at 2 years of age was studied.Study design: We studied outcome of offspring of women randomised in the PPROMEXIL study. These women had >24 h of ruptured membranes and were between 34 and 37 weeks of pregnancy when they were randomised to induction of labour (IoL) or expectant management (EM). Two years after delivery, the parents received the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ), the child behaviour checklist (CBCL) and a general questionnaire.Results: Follow-up data were obtained from 234 children (121 after IoL, 113 after EM, response rate 59% (44% of the original 532 randomised women)). In the IoL group 16 children (14%) had an abnormal score in >= 1 domains of the ASQ versus 27 (26%) in the EM group (difference in percentage -11.4 (95% CI -21.9 to -0.98; p = 0.033)). For the CBCL, an abnormal score was found in 13% (n = 15) in the IoL group and in 15% (n = 16) in the EM group (difference in percentage -2.13 (95% CI -11.2 to 6.94; p = 0.645)).Conclusion: Although a policy of induction of labour in women with late PPROM does not improve short term neonatal outcome, it might be associated with a decrease in neurodevelopmental difficulties at the age of two years as compared to expectant management. Expectant management did not lead to a difference in behavioural problems. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.